A bomb threat sent to “multiple agencies and media outlets” in Springfield, Ohio, forced the closure of the town’s City Hall on Thursday.
“City of Springfield received a bomb threat that has prompted an immediate response from local and regional law enforcement,” a statement from city officials said. “As a precautionary measure, the building has been evacuated, and authorities are currently conducting a thorough investigation.”
The motive behind the threat is still under investigation. But Thursday’s evacuation comes amid racist, debunked rumors that Haitian immigrants are kidnapping and eating pets in the town. The claims started in obscure social media posts and quickly spread to prominent Republicans, including JD Vance, and then Donald Trump, who used the presidential debate this week, to fuel the baseless conspiracy theory.
The viral rumors have since left Haitian immigrants in the area reporting incidents of harassment, including property damage. Many have elected to keep their children home from school; one Haitian resident told the Haitian Times that her cars were vandalized twice in the middle of the night.
“We’re all victims this morning,” she said the day following Trump’s racist remarks at the debate. “They’re attacking us in every way.”
Threat experts have long warned Trump’s promotion of racist claims, particularly when they involve immigrants, can fuel violence. My colleague Mark Follman writes:
Immigration is a top issue for voters, and Trump’s unsubstantiated smears against migrants clearly are aimed at motivating his base. But his demagoguery is also part of a long campaign of thinly veiled incitement—one that increases the risk of political violence at the hands of Trump’s extremist supporters. For years, Trump has used this method, known to national security experts as stochastic terrorism, against an array of purported political enemies. With the help of Fox pundits, migrants have been on Trump’s list ever since he entered the 2016 presidential race
